Boat-propelling mechanism.



C. H. CLOWER. BOAT PROPELLING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION VFILED AUG.8.1914. 1,1 59,899. Patented Nov. 9, 1915.

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CHARLES H. CLOWER, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

BOAT-PROPELLING MECHANISM.

To all Lo/wm t may concern.' j

Be it known that I, CHARLES H. CLowEn, a citizen of the United States,residing at Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State ofPennsylvania, h.l ve invented certain new and useful Improvements inBoat-Propelling Mechanism, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to provide a novel, simple and eflicientpropelling mechanism for water craft whereby an operator assuming a safeand `easy position facing forward may operate same with a natural motionof the legs and arms and at the same time govern the course of the craftand cause the progress of the craft to be uniform instead of spasmodic,by means of constant pressure on the main crank shaft.

With this object in view, my invented mechanism consists of the elementsand the combinations of them hereinafter fully described andparticularly claimed.

ln the accompanying drawings, illustratig my invention: Figure 1, is aplan of the rear portion of a boat provided with my improved propellingmechanism, omitting the seat. Fig. 2, is a longitudinal section throughthe body of the boat, showing the mechanism in elevation. F ig. 3, is atransverse section through the body of the boat, showing the mechanismin elevation.

Referring to the drawings, 2 designates the body of the boat which maybe of any suitable design. Within lthe rearward prtion of the boat is atransversely-extending shaft 3, constituting the main driving shaft 3 ofthe propelling mechanism. This shaft is mounted to rotate in suitablebearings at mounted in the boat and it carries a sprocket wheel 5 whichis connected by a chain '6 to a sprocket wheelV 7 on a short shaft 8mounted in a bearing on a bracket s) within the boat. The shaft 8 isprovided with a bevel gear wheel 10 in mesh with a similar wheel 11 on ashaft 12 which eX- tends longitudinally of the boat and rearwardly ofthe main shaft rlhe shaft 12 extends through the wall of the boat and ismounted to turn in a bearing therein and in a bearing on the bracket 9;and therear end of the shaft 12 carries the propeller 13.

By the construction thus far described, it will be readily understoodthat when the shaft 3 is rotated, the propeller 13 will be actuated.

Any suitable gearing may be employed Specification of Letters Eatent.

between the shafts 3 and 12 without departing from my invention.

I shall now describe the mechanism whereby the shaft 3 may be rotated bythe hand and foot power of a person seated within the boat.

The shaft 3 has four cranks 14, 15, 16, and 17 formed thereon, as shown.The cranks 11 and are connected by forwardly-extendingrods 18 and 19 tothe lower ends of rockinglevers 2O and 21 which are fulcrumed onbrackets 22 and 23, respectively, secured to the body of the boat. Thelevers and 21 are fulcrumed midway of their ends and their upper endsare connected to the forward ends of rods 2l and 25, respectively. Therear ends of the rods 24: and 25 are connected to a pair of hand levers26 and 27, respectively, located adjacent the two side walls of the boatand adjacent the main driving shaft 3. The lower ends of the hand levers26 and 27 are fulcrumed on brackets 28 and 29 secured to the body of theboat. The hand levers 2G and 27 are located forwardly of and adjacentthe two ends of a suitable seat 30 which extends .transversely betweenthe two side walls of the boat and is located above the main drivingshaft 3, so that a person sitting on the seat 30 between the'two handlevers 2G and 27 may grasp the Lipper ends thereof, and, by moving themforward and back, rotate the main shaft 3 by the connections justdescribed, and as will be hereinafter eX- plained.

The cranks 16 and 17 are connected to the rear ends of rods 31 and 32,respectively, which extend forwardly from the cranks and have suitablefoot pedals 33 and 3.4, respectively formed on the' forward endsthereof. rEhe forward ends of the rods 3l andY 32 are connected tocranks 35 and 36 formed on two rocking shafts 37 and 38, respectively,which are mounted in alinement with each other in the brackets 22 and 23and in a central bracket 39. The foot pedals 33 and 34 are located asuitable distance in advance of the seat 30, so that the person sittingupon the seat and operating the hand levers 26 and 27 may also move thefoot pedals forward and back and cause them, through the connectionsjust described, to assist in rotating the shaft 3.

The hand levers, foot pedals and cranks on the main shaft are so locatedwith respect to each other, that when a person sits y Patentes nov. e,isis.

Application led August S, 1914. Serial No. 855,738. i

upon-the seat 30 and oplats the mech@ nism, the right hand and rightfoot will go forward while the left hand and left foot are being drawnback, and the converse; and that rearward pressure on the hand leversand forward pressure on the foot pedals will turn the shaft 3 to drivethe boat forwardly. rIhus the pressure of the right hand and left. footwill alternate with the pressure of the left hand and right foot indriving the propeller.

To steer the boat while being propelled, I provide the following:Mounted in a bracket 40 secured to the body of the boat 2, is a shortvertical shaft 4l having a hand wheel 42 on the upper end thereof whichis located directly in front of the seat 3G. The shaft 41 carries a drum43 to which are secured the forward ends of a pair of ropes 44. .The

ropes 44 extend one from one Side and one 'from the other side of thedrum 43 and have their rearward ends connected to the ends of atransverse bar 45 on the upper end of the pivot bar 46 of a rudder 47,the pivot bar 46 being mounted to turn in suitable brackets on the rearend of the boat. By turning the wheel 42, the rudder 47 may be set tocontrol the course of the boat, and this may be done at different timesby the person operating the propelling mechanism removing a hand fromone of the hand levers a short time to necting said-rocking levers totwo cranks of lsaid rotatable shaft, two hand levers and rods connectingsaid rocking levers and said hand levers.

. 2. The combination of a boat, a rotatable shaft journaled in bearingstherein and havking a crank formed thereon, a propeller,

gearing between the propeller' and the shaft,

a rocking` shaft having -a crank formed thereon, and a rod having oneend connected to the crank on the rotatable shaft and having the otherendv provided with a foot pedal and connected to the crank on therocking shaft.

3. rlhe combination of a boat, a .rotatable shaft journaled in bearingstherein and having two cranks formed thereon, a propeller, gearingbetween the propeller and the shaft, a hand lever fulcrumed in the boat,a rocking lever fulcrumed in the boat, a rod connecting the levers, arod connecting the rocking lever to one crank on the rotatable shaft, arocking` shaft having a crank formed thereon, and a rod having one endconnected to one crank on the rotatable shaft and having the other endprovided with a foot pedal and connected to the crank on the rockingshaft. f v

The combination of a b0at,'a rotatable l shaft journaled in bearingstherein and havingtwo cranks formed thereon, a shaft eX- tendingrearwardly from the first named shaft through the wall of the boat andhavi'ng a propeller on the rear end thereof, gearing between saidshafts, a hand lever fulcrumed in the boat adjacent said rotatable shaftand having a rod connected thereto and extending forwardly therefrom, arocking` lever fulcrumed in the boat forwardlyn .in presence of twowitnesses.

CHARLES H. CLOWER. v

Witnesses Runs C. ROBERTS, GEORGE P. SHnrHERDsoN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for iive cents eacl 1, byaddressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C.

